Feeding Guides

[meluchja]

How accurate are feeding guides?

I'm having some issues with a new food that I'm giving my boy.

It's a grainfree food, and I have read that too much of it can cause black sloppy poos.

The feeding guide says for his weight to feed him about 1 cup. But if I feed him anymore than about 1/2 cup a day his poos go black and sloppy. I'm worried though, it's just not enough. I'm aware you adjust the amount you feed according to your dog, but by half???? Or could it just be, the food isn't agreeing with him??? Should I stick it out with this food or change???

I would love to know from all of you, how much you feed your dogs compared to what is guided by the manufacturer?

Edited May 28, 2011 by meluchja

[kelpiekaye]

How accurate are feeding guides?

I'm having some issues with a new food that I'm giving my boy.

It's a grainfree food, and I have read that too much of it can cause black sloppy poos.

The feeding guide says for his weight to feed him about 1 cup. But if I feed him anymore than about 1/2 cup a day his poos go black and sloppy. I'm worried though, it's just not enough. I'm aware you adjust the amount you feed according to your dog, but by half???? Or could it just be, the food isn't agreeing with him??? Should I stick it out with this food or change???

I would love to know from all of you, how much you feed your dogs compared to what is guided by the manufacturer?

What are you feeding? Maybe it dosnt agree with your dog,id you change food gradualy so dog could adjust? Maybe feed some raw as well eg chicken, beef bones etc

[meluchja]

How accurate are feeding guides?

I'm having some issues with a new food that I'm giving my boy.

It's a grainfree food, and I have read that too much of it can cause black sloppy poos.

The feeding guide says for his weight to feed him about 1 cup. But if I feed him anymore than about 1/2 cup a day his poos go black and sloppy. I'm worried though, it's just not enough. I'm aware you adjust the amount you feed according to your dog, but by half???? Or could it just be, the food isn't agreeing with him??? Should I stick it out with this food or change???

I would love to know from all of you, how much you feed your dogs compared to what is guided by the manufacturer?

What are you feeding? Maybe it dosnt agree with your dog,id you change food gradualy so dog could adjust? Maybe feed some raw as well eg chicken, beef bones etc

Yeah I changed him over gradually over about 5 days. He has been on Earthborn Primitive now exclusively for about 2 days. His last poo was good, but I think that's cause I dropped back the amount I fed him last night.

He can't tolerate Raw, he always vomits after it, but he can keep it down when I cook it a little. Maybe I should do half kibble half homemade.

[best4koda]

Hi, I've found I always only use the guide to have some idea then I adjust the amount whether my dogs putting weight on or losing it. The sloppy poos may mean that the progression onto the new was a little too quick, or perhaps it's too high in fat or protein they are used too. Grain free usually is higher protein and fat then ones with grain. And yes, it could mean it doesn't agree with him too. You could back off a little and see if they settle again.

You could try to add raw slowly by just a little at a time to see how they go. I have read that you need to do it slowly if they are not used to raw meat and if you need to lightly cook is ok too.

Try to do the changes slowly to see what's going on so you hopefully don't end up with it getting worse. It would be so much easier if our pooches could talk! ;)

[meluchja]

O.K so I gave up on the Grain Free version, as his stools weren't improving still half good half sloppy, so I swaped it over for the fish one.

But I'm hoping someone can help me but confirming something for me. Do I just swap over without using any of the GF formula, as he already has an upset tummy, or do I still use it to gradually change over. The store I bought it off said, stop the GF all together, and just use the new one. I can sort of see why I should do this, but just want to make sure.

Do I add some canned natures gift to the new one if I just use it on it's own? which is what I was doing to the GF to help solidify his poos, well that an cutting back the amount, which worked.

Any help would be great, thanks.

[trinabean]

O.K so I gave up on the Grain Free version, as his stools weren't improving still half good half sloppy, so I swaped it over for the fish one.

But I'm hoping someone can help me but confirming something for me. Do I just swap over without using any of the GF formula, as he already has an upset tummy, or do I still use it to gradually change over. The store I bought it off said, stop the GF all together, and just use the new one. I can sort of see why I should do this, but just want to make sure.

Do I add some canned natures gift to the new one if I just use it on it's own? which is what I was doing to the GF to help solidify his poos, well that an cutting back the amount, which worked.

Any help would be great, thanks.

I'm certainly no expert however I have got a dog with tummy issues. I am still working out what food my dog can tolerate but adding a spoonful of cooked mashed pumpkin to each meal has really helped him. He's gone from nasty diahorrea to fairly normal poos. Hopefully someone much wiser than me can advise you about stopping the GF or gradually changing over Good luck!

[G.G]

O.K so I gave up on the Grain Free version, as his stools weren't improving still half good half sloppy, so I swaped it over for the fish one.

But I'm hoping someone can help me but confirming something for me. Do I just swap over without using any of the GF formula, as he already has an upset tummy, or do I still use it to gradually change over. The store I bought it off said, stop the GF all together, and just use the new one. I can sort of see why I should do this, but just want to make sure.

Do I add some canned natures gift to the new one if I just use it on it's own? which is what I was doing to the GF to help solidify his poos, well that an cutting back the amount, which worked.

Any help would be great, thanks.

If its the same brand dog food, changing over would be fine

Its when you use cheaper products and then go to a quality food is the issue

Quality dog food takes time for dogs to get used to. They do absorb the food and get the benifits out of it

Where the cheaper food goes in one end and comes out the other and there system is not absorbing anything

If you feed a cheap brand of dog food and go to a quality brand of dog food you will notice the the difference in the dogs stools they would be less

They absorb most of the food

Hopes this helps

Edited June 1, 2011 by G.G

[Jumabaar]

O.K so I gave up on the Grain Free version, as his stools weren't improving still half good half sloppy, so I swaped it over for the fish one.

But I'm hoping someone can help me but confirming something for me. Do I just swap over without using any of the GF formula, as he already has an upset tummy, or do I still use it to gradually change over. The store I bought it off said, stop the GF all together, and just use the new one. I can sort of see why I should do this, but just want to make sure.

Do I add some canned natures gift to the new one if I just use it on it's own? which is what I was doing to the GF to help solidify his poos, well that an cutting back the amount, which worked.

Any help would be great, thanks.

If its the same brand dog food, changing over would be fine

Its when you use cheaper products and then go to a quality food is the issue

Quality dog food takes time for dogs to get used to. They do absorb the food and get the benifits out of it

Where the cheaper food goes in one end and comes out the other and there system is not absorbing anything

If you feed a cheap brand of dog food and go to a quality brand of dog food you will notice the the difference in the dogs stools they would be less

They absorb most of the food

Hopes this helps

It really isnt the quality of dog food that will cause the issue- particularly not going from crap to good quality!! It really depends on the dog as to how big a reaction they will have to food changes.

Does your dog tolerate cooked chicken and rice? If so I would pop him on this for a few days to give his system a little time to settle down and resolve any issues.

If not does he tolerate any other food well? It would be better to get his system back to equilibrium so you can actually see if the new food does agree with him.

ETA- another vote for adding cooked pumpkin to the mix- I use it for constipation and diarrhoea and it appears to help.

Edited June 2, 2011 by ~Woofen~

[meluchja]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Well he is doing really well on the new food.

I just used the new food, and added a little of the natures gift canned which he sometimes normally gets, and he has been very good.

Stools are back to normal, and he loves it, eats every last bit, which is always a plus for my dog as he has never really be fussed on any kibble. Black Hawk was the first he ate which he seemed to like, so I'm glad he likes this one. I know it's early days but he seems to be doing less stools as well. When he was on Black Hawk he would do up to 5 a day, and he has only been doing about 2 since the new food.

So fingers crossed his itchy problems will be a thing of the past now he is on a chicken free food, as we suspect it's the chicken in the food that causes him to itch. Which is why I tried taking him off the Black Hawk because of the chix fat. Not sure if I will put him back on it, if this one doesn't work out. I'm hoping this works.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks again for your help.